Rivalry-Fairy Tail FanFiction
by Sticy Mutiny
Summary: Sabertooth's newest Mage, Himitsu Doragon is selected to compete in this years Grand Magic Games. But, Fairy Tail has also recruited a new Mage named Zen'aku, and he has figured out Himitsu's secret. The real question though, which of these two mages will carry their Guild to victory, and how will the rivalry between Sabertooth and Fairy Tail ensue in this years Grand Magic Games!
1. Chapter 1: New Friends in Strange Place

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Naruto!**

**A.N.: This is my first Fanfiction I've ever written so it'd be nice if you could R&R for me cause that'd be very nice of you guys :D Also, I considered this a Fairy Tail-Naruto Crossover because of the Sasuke like Character. It's really a Fairy Tail Fanfiction though.**

~In the Sabertooth Guild~

A loud roar erupted from the Sabertooth guild doors. Jiemma walked outside, into the courtyard of their guild. Outside, where tall training poles were located, and an object was at the peak of the tallest one.

"Himitsu! Come down here, now!" Jiemma bellered up, but was ignored by the girl. Himitsu's long purple hair flowed in the wind as she sat on top of the tall training pole. As the wind passed over her body, it carried a jingling sound over the land. Her eyes were closed and peaceful, and she didn't have a care in the world. Her outfit was a white robe, with a cherry tree petal design. The robe covered her her back, but was open in the front. Finishing her outfit, was one similar to Cana Alberona's, and bare feet.

Her keys were two formed of two different materials. Three of the keys were gold, and the other two were platinum.

"Himi! Come down here." A blonde mage said less brutally than Jiemma. Himitsu, blushed, and she jumped down from the pole. She landing between Sting and Jiemma, her face with a slight pink tint.

"Himitsu! The grand magic games are approaching. And you just sit here at the guild!" A deathly aura surrounded Jiemma as he glared at Himitsu. Scoffing, she turned to face from the guild master, and she laughed.

"There is a difference between sitting and doing nothing, than channeling your magical abilities." Himitsu said, and she turned away from her master. "Plus, why would you select me to compete anyways? I mean you have Rouge, Minerva, Rufus, Orga and..." Himitsu blushed as she came up to Sting name.

"You are part of Sabertooth! The strongest guild! You will train your skills, and not stain our name!" Jiemma boomed, causing the poles to shake.

"The only name I will stain, Master...is Fairy Tail!" Himitsu said before she walked away to her room. And they will pay for defeating Sting. Himitsu added in her mind as she approached the request board. As she glanced over each and every request, she sighed.

"How would I get him to notice me?" Himitsu muttered as she accepted an S-Class job. The job was to disband a Dark Guild. She took the job, and was about to leave, but she turned into a strong sturdy man.

"Himitsu! Keep your hands off The Great Sting-Kun!" A blue-vested exceed said as Himitsu blushed ferociously.

"I-I'm sorry, S-Sting-san." Himtsu stuttered before running out of the guild.

The guild that Himitsu was supposed to disband was located somewhere in Fiore, in a town called Kyūryū. This town was known for its consistent onslaught of torrential downpours. She looked at her paper, which explained all the details about her mission as she got on a train at the station. She sat down in a seat in an S-Class car. She got a high quality car because of her status as a Sabertooth member. She sat on the end of her seat, anxious to get this mission over with. She stared out the windows or the car that she was in. A bored look stained her face as she pondered what the dark guild would be like.

~One day, while in the town of Magnolia~

"Alright, time for another job. Let's go Happy!" a young, pink-haired boy yelled.

"Aye Sir!" replied his best friend, a blue cat, flying around to join his friend.

"Natsu! Happy! Wait up!" A young, blond-haired young girl cried, as she hurried to catch up.

"Lucy, c'mon. We've got to hurry. If we complete this job, we'll get back just in time for you to pay your rent." Natsu said.

Lucy, taken aback, retorts, "Of course I know that, why else would I join you two on a crazy job like this?"

At this, Happy, begins to giggle, barely saying, "You're here because you liiikkke him." before falling out the sky with laughter.

Lucy blushed and proceeds to kick Happy, exclaiming "Why do you always roll your tongue when you say that?!"

Natsu, who wasn't listening, approaches the train station, muttering "Why do we have to take the train anyway?" as he went.

"Hello, how may I help you?" The ticket lady asked.

"Does this train go to Magnolia Outskirts?" Natsu asked in return. "We have a job in Kyūryū, and Master said this is the fastest way to get there."

"Yes, of course. Unfortunately, this train only goes to Nichibotsu Station. But Kyūryū is the next town you come to after leaving Nichibotsu Station." The lady handed Natsu a map and 2 tickets. Natsu thanked the lady and trudged back to Lucy and Happy. Lucy was in the process of pummelling Happy, she was stepping on Happy with her foot and Natsu approached.

"Next time, you won't get off so easy, Happy!" Lucy snarled, before releasing Happy.

Happy, panting as he spoke, "Pheew, that was close, Lucy almost squashed me."

"Whaaaat?!" Lucy roared, cracking her knuckles loudly, and started toward Happy with malice in her eyes.

Natsu just laughed, and then he beckoned his two friends toward their train as they set off toward Kyūryū, the site of their next job.

As usual, not long after boarding the train and departing, Natsu falls victim to motion sickness, a common theme associated with Dragon Slayers.

*sigh* "Poor Natsu, I feel sorry for him every time we ride this train. But he knows that this is the fastest way to get to Kyūryū, aside from flying."

"Aye…" Happy replied, eyeing Natsu with a glum look on his face.

At this point, Natsu said weakly, "Are… we there… yet?" before retching.

Lucy grimaced before glancing out the window. Outside, the train was traversing through farm fields. Wide pastures, some filled with animals, others with this season's crops.

Suddenly, an explosion roared from the front of the train.

"Woah, what the heck was that?" Lucy cried, jumping from her seat and rushed to open the door to the next car toward the next car.

"I wouldn't go up there if I were you" A deep voice uddered.

Lucy turned quickly to face the speaker of those words. "I can't just sit here and do nothing, people might be hurt up there." She said, before opening the door and advancing to the next car. She had gone three steps before another explosion ripped through the train car ahead of her. Lucy yells and shields her eyes from the blast. Part of the train has been completely blown away, air rushing to the outside farm fields.

"What is going on here?" Lucy said "Trains aren't supposed to blow up themselves!"

"Wait a minute. If this isn't a natural event, then what is really going on here?"

As she struggled to put the pieces of the puzzle together, a third explosion rocked the car and propelled Lucy from the car.

I guess this is an attack. Someone, or something is attacking the train!

"Natsu!" Lucy cried, falling from the train car.

"Open, Gate of the Scales: Libra." A womanly voice said just before a brilliant light erupted from the train. "Libra, alter that woman's gravity horizontal so she is pulled towards the train." She voice showed no sign of concern or worry. In fact, she sounded more bored than anything. Lucy's body went rigid before her entire being was slammed into the train car. After she hit the car, she grunted, but was slowly pulled into the small opening of the car where the first explosion went off earlier.

Breathing hard, Lucy panted on the floor as the same light from before appeared. Once Lucy opened her eyes, she was greeted with the sight of a purple haired mage standing directly above her. Panicking, Lucy rolled on the ground, readying one hand on her Celestial Keys.

"So you're going to attack your rescuer?" The girl scoffed as she pushed her hair away from her face. Lucy dropped her hand, and she stood up.

"How'd you save me?" Lucy asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Technically, I didn't. Libra did, but I asked her to." The purple haired girl responded, and she turned her head on Lucy.

"Libra? The Celestial Spirit Libra?" Lucy looked confused. Didn't Yukino have a contract with Libra? Lucy though as she stared at the back of the purple haired girl's head.

"Mhm." The girl muttered as she continued to walk away, towards the back of the train. Lucy, not wanting to be left alone, followed the girl. Is this girl stalking me? The girl wondered as Lucy's footsteps panged against the train floor.

As they traveled through two cars, Lucy saw Natsu had recovered from his motion sickness. Lucy dived into Natsu's arms only to hear Happy say, "you liiikkke him." Lucy gave Happy a death glare, which made him titter with enjoyment.

"Luce, what happened?" Natsu asked when he saw the soot on Lucy's face.

"Well...I believe this train is under attack." Lucy said, and the purple haired girl scoffed.

"What would they be after?" She asked, but for a reply, Lucy and Natsu showed them their Fairy Tail marks.

"They might want to take out two Fairies..." The purple haired lady gasped, and she ran out of the car, and sprinted back farther in the train.

"Hmph, you didn't finish off that Fairy Tail mage with your last attack, Guritchi." A young man said to his companion.

"Gimme a break, like you did anything to stop her. If you would've just killed her before she got too far, I wouldn't've had to destroy half of a perfectly good train." Guritchi snapped back, clearly angry with his partner.

The young man got up from his seat. He was average in height and fair skinned. His most defining characteristic was the bandages covering his eyes, stemming from a tragic accident earlier in his life. He also wore a long, white long sleeved shirt that was open down, exposing his well-built torso. His right sleeve is ripped halfway up the biceps, dark blue pants with a blue cloth draped around his waist which hung down to his knees. He wore jet black arm guards that covered his forearms. He also wore a purple rope belt, tied in a bow, which he used to carry a sword. His sword had a black scabbard and matching hilt. He wore open-toed sandals and fully-covered leg bracers, which covered his shins. His chin-length black hair is spiky in the back and his bangs hang down from both sides of his face past his cheeks.

Guritchi, meanwhile, was a shorter, older man, even with a bald spot at the top of his head. He wore a long white cloak that covered much of his body. Underneath his cloak, he wore a dark blue, skin tight shirt and matching dark blue pants. He also wore sandals and shin guards.

"Our mission here is strictly to acquire the valuables aboard this train, not to take people's lives." The young man replied calmly.

"But Zen'aku, what if that girl and her friends come back? Then you'll regret not killing her." Guritchi sighed, before carefully moving through the wreckage toward the back of the train.

That idiot. He's way too careless. Zen'aku thought. He assumed that a simple explosion would kill that girl. If she's truly a mage, then she'll live.

Zen'aku took a glance into the next car, where the part of the train car that Lucy was launched out of still open and pieces of the seats now flying out through the giant hole in the side of the train. He sighed again, then followed his partner toward the rear of the train.

Zen'aku and Guritchi continued their push towards the back of the train, where the third member of their party was already beginning the next phase of their plan, stealing all the valuables from everyone on board. Guritchi reached the rear car first, calling out "Look at all this stuff here. How much have you gotten already, Riamu?" He asked

'Wee hee, I got a bunch of goodies, boss." Riamu replied gleefully, scrambling to gather up pieces of gold that had been scattered on the floor.

Raimu was an extremely short young man, barely an adult. He wore a ragged brown cloak which didn't quite cover him. Underneath, he wore a torn black and white striped t-shirt and orange pants that were too long for him. He wore close toed shoes that were ripped and worn.

"Riamu, this time, don't grab underwear and tell me its treasure." Zen'aku said as he arrived in the rear car.

"Yessir, Master Zen'aku." Riamu chuckled. "But if I grab ladies underwear, I'm ok, right?"

Zen'aku drew his sword and pointed it at Riamu.

"Don't make me kill you. Let's just gather up all the valuables and escape without incident."

At this, Riamu's demeanor changed, "I'm sorry Master Zen'aku, I'll be good. Please, please don't kill me!"

Zen'aku sheathed his sword, then resumed to gathering up more valuables that were left on the floor of the train.

Guritchi chuckled, asking "Why so serious, Zen'aku? He's just messing with you."

Zen'aku simply said nothing, grabbing a golden watch on the floor and putting it in the bag that was already full of gold.

Guritchi stood up, holding his bag of valuables in his hand. "Zen'aku, Riamu, let's go. We've got all what we needed here."

Riamu stood up and motioned to follow Guritchi. Zen'aku, however, remained in the car.

"You guys go on ahead, I'm going to just check out the rear-most car." He said.

Guritchi shrugged before he and Riamu started off toward the front of the train, and their escape route.

As they were crossing over from between cars, something collided with them, knocking them over. Spilling all of their loot, they looked up to see a purple haired woman standing their.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" They shouted, but they girl just glared.

"Are you Fairy Tail trash?" She demanded, making the men laugh.

"As if!" Guritchi laughed as he and the other two stood up from the ground." We are Black Friday, a Dark Guild!"

"Then you'll go down the same as if you were Fairy Tail. Open, Gate of the Scales: Libra." As soon as Libra's gate opened, the girl was already calling orders. "Libra, adjust the two targets' gravity horizontally...Send them flying." Her voice was calm as she watched Libra alter their gravity which sent them flying.

The two men screamed as they were grabbed by the wind, and yanked towards the back of the train. Libra and the girl ran through the cars, running right by another man, and reached the back of the car.

"Libra...adjust their gravity towards us." The girl commanded, and Libra obeyed. As their gravity was adjusted, the girl reached into her sleeve, and pulled out a katana with a pink sheath. Once the men came within striking distance, the girl cut down one of them, and Libra punched the other underneath the train so he ended up getting stuck in the wheel.

Zen'aku continued his investigation of the rear end of the destroyed train.

With any luck, those Fairy Tail mages will take care of my two associates. After that, I'll progress toward my real objective. He thought.

"So, if you're here, then I'm assuming that you've already finished off my comrades." Zen'aku turned and inquired of the two mages approaching him.

"I haven't seen any other mages on this train, other than you!" Natsu retorted.

"If those are your comrades, then shouldn't you be concerned over their safety?" Lucy exclaimed of the dark mage.

"If you call them your comrades, then why are you so certain that we've already finished them off? You should care whether or not they're alive!" Natsu roared as he advanced toward the dark mage.

"Pfft, those two were merely a distraction. Those fools were only here because I allowed them to come." Zen'aku calmly replied. "I have no need for comrades. I'm only here for myself."

"Why you…!" Natsu suddenly rushed toward Zen'aku, focusing his Fire Dragon Slayer magic in his right hand.

"Fool. I have no quarrel with you." Zen'aku drew his sword, easily blocking Natsu's punch. He then formed a magic seal with his free hand. Bright light erupted from his hand and Natsu had to shield his eyes from the light.

"Wha… Where'd he go?" Natsu snarled.

"Natsu, he's on the roof!" Lucy replied.

Natsu and Lucy scrambled to the roof of the car. There stood the dark mage, looking into the sunset with a smile on his face.

"I see, maybe you Fairy Tail mages really have what I need." He said.

"If you truly want to find out what I'm after, you should come to our guild in Kyūryū. Take the train to Nichibotsu Station. After that, Kyūryū town is walking distance away."

After saying this, he raised his right hand over his head, formed a magic seal and said "Farewell." before disappearing.

"What'll we do Natsu?" Lucy asked.

"One thing's for sure, I'm gonna defeat that guy and teach him a lesson about comrades. Right, Happy?"

"Aye sir!" Happy replied excitedly. The two mages and their cat began their trip to the rainy town of Kyūryū.

After saying goodbye to Himtsu, Natsu, Lucy and Happy continued on their journey to Kyūryū by arriving at Nichibotsu Station. Lucy stepped off the train, carrying Natsu.

Why am I carrying Natsu anyway? Lucy thought.

Suddenly, Natsu, realizing that he was off the train, let out a huge yell, saying "Yay, I'm off that stupid train!"

"Natsu, you punched me!" Lucy cried.

"Ah, sorry Lucy." Natsu laughed. Then he said, "Wonder which way to Kyūryū?"

Happy, already in the air, pointed in the direction of a mysterious fog in the North. "It's this way Natsu." He said.

"Alright, let's go!" Natsu yelled, then started running toward the fog.

"Aye sir!" Happy replied happily.

Lucy, once again, was left behind. As she ran off in pursuit of Natsu, she suddenly paused, believing she saw someone.

"Lucy, c'mon, let's go already!" Natsu shouted from ahead.

Lucy started. "Coming, wait for me!" She hurried ahead, following her companions.

From on top of the station's tower, Zen'aku stood, while a slight smile on his face.

"That girl. First she survived the blast from Guritchi's magic, then she noticed me when I sped past her and her friends. I wonder if they can handle the whole Black Friday Guild."

"Well, as long as I get what I want, it doesn't matter what everyone else does. So I'll just sit back and observe for now." He sat down on the roof and watched the sun as it disappeared behind the fog.

~In Kyūryū City~

It was raining, as usual, throughout the town. Himitsu's hair was damp from water, yet she stood in the rain. Why is Fairy Tail here? Her eyes twitched with rage as she thought about them. Natsu Dragneel...He's here too. Slowly, she took steps towards a giant black, skyscraper like building.

"Don't step any closer!" A voice called out to her as she approached the building.

"And if I continue?" Himitsu question, and her voice was stained with boredom.

"Then I'll just have to kill you!" The man lunged at Himitsu, and swung his katana.

"I don't have time for trash like you..." Himitsu said as she blocked the attack with her right arm. A klang echoed throughout the fog as the sword stuck her arm.

"What the...!" But before he could finished, Himitsu punched him in the face with her other hand, knocking him deep into the ground.

"You can stay down there till I'm done tearing down this guild hall." And with that, she walked up to the guild. "Open, Gate of the Scales: Libra." Libra appeared, and as if she could read Himitsu's thoughts, she adjusted her master's gravity so she flew to the top. Libra's gate closed once her master safely landed on top of the guild.

Once she landed, Himitsu immediately found a small skylight that would lead her down into the guild. She jumped down through it, and like a ninja, she stealthily pranced through the shadows. If I can just stay away from any dark guild members for the time being...I can steal any secrets they might have. Himitsu chuckled as she tiptoed down flights of stairs.

Suddenly, some commotion came from a lower level startled the purple haired mage. This forced her to hide away into a shadow, and hide from sight. They can't know I'm here...I haven't made a sound...Himitsu wasted time wondering about the commotion. Once things seemed to have settled down, Himitsu stepped around the corner, and continued on her way.

Meanwhile, Natsu and Lucy have made it to the front gates of the Dark Guild, Black Friday.

"Wow, look at the size of this Guild!" Lucy said, looking up at the tall building directly in front of her.

Natsu agreed, almost falling back as he looked up. "Holy cow, I can't even see the top."

"Happy, try flying up there as see if you can reach the top!"

"Aye sir!" Happy replied eagerly before taking off using his exceed magic.

Woah, this tower just keeps going. If I'm not careful, I'll get lost in the fog. Happy thought.

"Happy, find the top yet?" Natsu yelled from the ground. But Happy didn't hear him, as he spotted something that caught his eye.

"Is that what I think it is?" He exclaimed excitedly. There, hanging from the walls of the tower was a perfectly good fish.

"Fish!" Happy yelled happily as he sped to his prey. However, as he moved to swallow the fish whole, he realized too late that it was a trap. The fish that he had eaten was attached to a string and hook. And someone was at the other end of the string and hook.

"Well, lookie here? I actually caught a cat." the man named Ryōshi said. "Hey guys, look what I done caught?"

"Well, amazing. For once, you actually weren't just wasting your time trying to catch something other than fog." Kagura sneered. "Wait, is that a cat?" She spat, eyeing Happy with distaste.

"Yup, ain't she purty?" Ryōshi replied. "Kagura, you'll be nice to my new pet, ya here?" "Hey, what are you two doing? Haven't you noticed that our guild has mice scurrying around?"

"Zen'aku." Kagura said, noticing that another Mage has joined the group. "You really shouldn't be the one to talk. If you finished off those Fairies before, we wouldn't be in this situation."

At this, Ryōshi sneered. "Yeah, now 'cause of you, we're getting yelled at by the Boss." he added with a whimper.

"Tch, I told you, don't underestimate Fairy Tail." Zen'aku retorted, with a touch of annoyance in his voice now.

"Come now, at least he isn't dead like the other two are, it seems." A booming voice calls out from the top of the stairs leading to the next room. The three Dark Mages turned to look up at their master. A monstrous man with huge arms and bare, well built chest. He wore baggy, off-white slacks. The master looked out at his students. Kagura came into view first. She wore a revealing white dress, that leaves the sides of her legs exposed. She also wore red high heels. Ryōshi, by comparison, is wearing a bulky, tan jacket with numerous pockets and light blue pants. He also wears brown, closed toed shoes.

"Master Kyōkan." Zen'aku muttered as he looked up.

Kagura began laughing softly, "I see Master has returned early. Those fairies won't stand a chance now."

"So, I heard that there are intruders inside my guild. Why would that be?" Kyōkan boomed. He his eyes swept the room as he waited for a response.

Ryōshi immediately pointed his gnarled finger at Zen'aku, "Master, Zen'aku failed his mission. He didn't kill them fairies. Punish him, not us!"

Kagura hissed at him to be quiet when Zen'aku remained silent.

"No matter. You'll finish them this time. Won't you, Zen'aku?" Kyōkan boomed his last word.

Again, Zen'aku remained silent.

"Yes, of course we will Master. We shall not let them embarrass our guild again." Kagura said, hastily bowing.

"See to it." At this, Kyōkan retreated into the room at the top of the stairs.

"Tch" Zen'aku spat. "Just you wait Kyōkan." He whispered so no one could hear him. Then, he commanded to the others, "Let's go." before disappearing.

Kagura looked longingly at the spot where Zen'aku disappeared. Then she turned to Ryōshi and said, "Put that thing away and go engage the enemy." She then turned and walked towards the door to the lower level.

"Happy… Happy!" Natsu had been calling his friend for some time now.

"You don't think something happened to him?" Lucy piped up nervously.

Natsu kept calling, but no response could be heard from Happy.

Lucy suddenly gasped and pointed to a window 2 floors above the entrance. There' hanging from a fishing pole, bound and gagged, was Happy!

"Happy!" Natsu cried. Then, he noticed that someone was holding up the other end of the fishing pole. "What have you done with Happy?"

"If you want your friend, come inside, ya'here?" said the man, named Ryōshi.

"Natsu, look." Lucy exclaimed, pointing to the gates, which creaked open.

Natsu rushed in, screaming "Happy!"

"Too easy." A woman's voice was briefly heard when Natsu entered the Guild Hall.

"Wha…" Natsu turned to face the woman, but too late. His foot had been caught in a trap. The rope on the ground tightened around Natsu's ankle and Natsu rose into the air until he hung in midair above the ground.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried. Then she frantically scrambled to find her keys. Pulling out the one she wanted, she began to open a gate. However, before the gate opened, a thin string shot out from the 2nd floor and wrapped around Lucy, binding her. Lucy grunted before falling to the ground, unable to move.

"I can't believe it was really that easy." the middle-aged man, Ryōshi, said. "I can't believe that Zen'aku had trouble these here fairies."

"I know right, so pathetic." Kagura agreed. "These fairies are a joke. But Ryōshi, don't insult Zen'aku or I'll…" But at that moment she was hit by a blast of fire. She failed to notice that Natsu had freed himself from Kagura's trap.

"Is that really all you've got?" Natsu said, staring down his opponent. "I'll make this quick, so gimme back my friend Happy."

"Natsu, the guy on the 2nd floor is the one who had Happy before!" Lucy yelled as she too untied herself from her bonds.

Ryōshi and Kagura were stunned. "How did they manage to get away?" They said in unison. Lucy smirked and pointed her thumb at the giant crab that was standing behind her. "Cancer, give that woman a haircut she'll never forget."

"Yeah, baby." Cancer streaked off, flashing his scissors with both hands. Cancer blew past Kagura, finishing his attack. "Cool look, baby!" He said, before departing. Kagura fell to the ground, all her hair fell out, saying "Sorry, Zen'aku…" before falling unconscious.

"Nice one, Lucy!" Natsu yelled down from the 2nd floor. He then proceeded to confront Ryōshi, who still had Happy tied up and unconscious.

"Give Happy back!" Natsu roared. "Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu rushed forward, smashing Ryōshi with his flame-covered fist. Ryōshi groaned in pain as he was blown backwards into the wall before collapsing and subsequently releasing Happy.

"Happy!" Natsu cried happily, sprinting forward to untie his friend. "Are you ok, buddy?" He asked with concern.

"Aye…" Happy replied glumly. "Sorry I got caught, Natsu. That guy trapped me by putting a fish out on a fishing line."

Natsu laughed.

"What's so funny? You realize that now, you'll have to fight the Master? He don't take kindly to intruders." Ryōshi groaned.

"Heh, we'll see about that." Natsu retorted. "Sounds like there's two people here I've got to beat up."

"Lucy, this way. I found some stairs that'll lead us to the upper floor." He shouted from the upper floor.

"Right." Lucy hurried up the stairs to join her comrades.

As the Fairy Tail group of three walked up the stairs to the upper levels of the guild, they knocked over a purple haired mage. Natsu's hands started ablaze, Lucy readied her hand. Himitsu on the other hand, already summoned Libra.

"Make the target heavier." Himitsu commanded, and Libra obeyed. As soon as Himitsu realized who she was targeting, she instructed Libra to release her magic. Once this was done, Libra returned to the spirit world, and Natsu and Lucy recovered.

"Hai! Why are you attacking us!?" Lucy shouted.

"You could've been an enemy." Himitsu scoffed, turning her back on the Fairy's. "Are you going to help, or get it my way?" Himitsu headed back for the stairs she just came down.

"Weren't you coming this way Himitsu?" Lucy asked, trying to sound like she wasn't annoyed.

"I was. But you Fairy's seemed to have cleared out those floors. Now I just have to find the guild master." Himitsu responded as she took a flight of stairs up.

"Hey! We're coming too!" Natsu yelled as he grabbed Lucy's wrist and charged after Himitsu.

"Hmph. Looks like Fairy Tail beat Ryōshi and Kagura." Zen'aku muttered. Well, time to go.

The doors of the chamber burst open. Master Kyōkan, spun around and turned to face the attacker. "What are you doing, Zen'aku?" He roared.

"Came to report, Ryōshi and Kagura are knocked out."

"So then what is the meaning of you blowing down my door?" Kyōkan snapped back.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm finishing up."

Kyōkan's eyes widened. "Whaaat? Why you ungrateful little brat?"

Kyōkan then rushed at Zen'aku, raising his fist. Zen'aku put his hand on his sword, as if to draw it. However, Kyōkan was too fast and his punch landed, sending Zen'aku flying backwards. Zen'aku smashed into the wall, leaving a crater in the wall.

"Too slow." Ken'aku appeared behind Kyōkan, drew his sword and slashed. Kyōkan just managed to block the strike with his arm guards, forcing Zen'aku to step back.

"Just what are you after?" Kyōkan panted.

Zen'aku rushed again, slashing with his sword. Kyōkan blocked it once again with his arm guard. "Is there a reason we're both not using our magic?" Zen'aku said calmly.

"I won't need magic to beat you. Now die!" Kyōkan swung his free hand around at Zen'aku, grazing the side of his face. A ripping sound could be heard in the now silent room.

"Well Master, looks like I'll be the first to use my magic. And I'll make sure, I'm the last to use magic!" Zen'aku disengaged from Kyōkan again and removed his bandages from around his eyes, revealing a set of eyes quite unlike any other. They were black in color, except for the red, pinwheel-like pattern in the center.

"Eclipse Magic: Eternal Darkness Torture!"

It was a darkened chamber. Inside, there were many shackles on the wall, used to keep prisoners in check. As one kept walking down the narrow hallway, the shackles and walls because increasingly dirtier. Ironically, there was no pungent odor even as the scene became more and more gruesome. If you continued down the hallway, eventually, there would be a point where the floor disappears and the hall stops. That is where one would find one set of shackles, dangling from the low ceiling. Usually, those shackles aren't used, save for the worst case scenario. But today, those shackles are closed around the wrists of Kyōkan, Guild Master of the Dark Guild Black Friday. Facing him, just steps away from a door at the opposite end of the chamber, was Zen'aku, looking up at the huge man who was hanging before him.

"What a pitiful sight." Zen'aku said. "The powerful Mage, Kyōkan, hanging idly from the ceiling, bound by these meager chains."

"How dare you do this to your Master?" Kyōkan growled. He then coughed violently for a few seconds before asking, "Where am I anyway?"

'You are inside Eternal Darkness Prison, a prison I created to bind my enemies until I finish interrogating them. If you're lucky, you'll survive the interrogation and you'll leave this place and make a full recovery. If you're unlucky, you won't make it to see me extract your Magic!"

"That's what this is about?!" Kyōkan roared. "You only joined my guild so you could one day attack me and steal my Magic?"

"That's right." Zen'aku responded. His next words came with an icy bite to them. "Why wouldn't anyone with knowledge of your powers not covet them for themselves?"

"I mean, undetectable armor? As soon as I heard about you and your power, I've dreamt of the day when I would take this power from you."

"Now, would you prefer to teach me how to use this armor, or should I extract your Magic, killing you, and leave to figure it out on my own?"

"You're evil…" Kyōkan whispered. "You're more cruel than any Dark Mage."

"Maybe, but then how do you explain this? I sent a job request to two of the strongest guilds in Fiore, Fairy Tail and Sabertooth, in hopes that they would take care of the smaller fish."

"Besides, taking out Dark Guilds does benefit me. That way, I'll find the one who I've been searching for. I'll find the one person in the world whose power I wish to erase from this world!"

"Zeref." Kyōkan whispered. "You're a fool if you think that you can stop that guy."

"We'll see about that." Zen'aku said. "Now, shall we begin?"

Zen'aku draws his sword, then suddenly the room turns pitch black. The only sound that can be heard is the piercing screams coming from Kyōkan.

Natsu, Lucy and Himitsu came blasting through the door and entered the Master's chambers.

"There you are!" Natsu yelled angrily.

"Fairy Tail." Zen'aku responded. He took his foot off of the unconscious body of Kyōkan and re-sheathed his sword.

"Isn't that the Guild Master?" Lucy pointed nervously to Kyōkan's motionless body.

Zen'aku looked at where Lucy was pointing. "Yes, the man you see lying before you was Kyōkan, Master of the Black Friday guild."

"You killed him?" Himitsu asked "Why?"

"I wanted the Magic that he used." Zen'aku answered simply. He then added, "Plus, I wanted this guild destroyed."

"Why you…" Natsu started toward Zen'aku, forming a magic circle around both arms. "Wings of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu makes a grab for Zen'aku, but finds that the Dark Mage isn't touched. Instead, Natsu's hands sink into Zen'aku's stomach!

"Wha…!" Natsu exclaimed in surprise.

"Natsu, look out!" Lucy cried. A figure resembling Zen'aku perfectly appeared behind Natsu and the other Zen'aku. He drew his sword and slashed, cutting through his duplicate, but missing Natsu, as he disengaged the Zen'aku clone just prior. At this, the clone disappeared with a puff of smoke.

What kind of magic is this? Lucy wondered.

As if to answer Lucy's question, Zen'aku responded, "This is Doppleganger Magic. This magic is the 'invincible shield' magic, used by Kyōkan when he was alive. It allows the user to create a perfect clone of themselves by evenly distributing his/her magic to each clone created. However, if the clone should be injured or killed, the magic is just dispersed, with no harm to the user and the unused magic is returned. In addition, the user gains all new information that the clone may have gathered."

It's like another Zen'aku. Lucy thought. If one Zen'aku wasn't hard enough to fight already…

"At the moment, I can only create one clone of myself." Zen'aku continued. "Rumor has it that Kyōkan could create up to 4 copies of himself."

Four? This guy sure was powerful if he could split his Magic into 5 pieces…

"Lucy! Watch out!"

Zen'aku rushed at Lucy, sword drawn. Lucy screamed and frantically grabbed for one of her keys. However, it was too late. Zen'aku completed his slash and re-sheathed his sword.

What's going on? Lucy nervously thought. I'm sure that Zen'aku charged at me with his sword drawn. I thought he hit me, but…

Lucy got up and patted herself, feeling for wounds. Nothing. She concluded silently. So why…?

Lucy gasped. There at her feet, was a piece of metal used to hold up the ceiling. It had fallen exactly where Lucy was standing.

Lucy slowly turned to face the Dark Mage. "Why…?"

"Don't thank me." Zen'aku said, glancing back at the Celestial Mage before turning and walking towards the exit. "I should be thanking you…"

As this, Lucy blushed.

However, Natsu was not impressed. "You think you can just walk away from this? You and I still have a score to settle!"

Natsu charged again, this time propelled from the fire that he produced from magic circles behind his elbow.

"Flaming Elbow of the Fire Dragon!"

This time, Natsu's aim was true. He connected with Zen'aku, launching him from the room, through the stone wall, straight through the larger hall and out the window at the opposite end, smashing through the glass.

I told you. I have no quarrel with you. Natsu… Dragneel…

Hmph, after all I've done for Fairy Tail, I'm going to die by their very hands…

Zen'aku was falling from the Black Friday guild's top floor after being punched by Natsu. He marveled at how different the guild looked when looking up at it.

"Something just fell out of the window."

As Zen'aku squinted to see more clearly, he was shocked to see Lucy and Himitsu,

both quickly falling to catch up with him.

When Lucy and Himitsu had caught up, they each grabbed an arm. Then, Himitsu yelled, "Libra, now! Alter our gravity horizontal towards the wall."

Libra obliged and Lucy and Himitsu were slammed into the wall, along with Zen'aku, yet they were safely on the wall of the guild.

"Are you ok Zen'aku?" Lucy asked, looking concerned.

Zen'aku smirked, "I told you that I'd be thanking you."

This comment received a smack from Lucy.

"You could've blocked Natsu easily. So why didn't you?" Himitsu asked.

At this, Zen'aku responded, "Principle. I have no reason to fight Natsu. My objective was to destroy the Dark guild Black Friday and gain the magic of its master, Kyōkan."

"I have you guys to thank for defeating the rest of the guild." Zen'aku added.

Himitsu stood up on the side of the wall. "You guys head to the base of the tower. I'll finish destroying the guild."

Wait, what about Natsu and Happy?" Lucy panicked

Himitsu pointed at a figure in the distance. Lucy and Zen'aku squinted to see what it was. "Natsu! Happy!" Lucy yelled, waving her hand and wildly jumping up and down.

Natsu merely gave them the thumbs up, smiled and winked.

"Alright Happy, let's go down!" He yelled.

Aye sir!" Happy replied.

"Phew, we managed to all come out ok." Lucy sighed after she and Zen'aku reached the ground.

"Himitsu, we're down now!" She yelled, but no response came.

"She's probably gone to destroy the guild. We'd better move to avoid being hit by any debris." Zen'aku said, a note of fatigue in his voice.

"R-right" Lucy said. She carried Zen'aku away from the base of the guild.

When they were a safe distance away, Lucy lowered Zen'aku to the ground and leaned him against a rock. She sat down opposite him. She leaned back on her hands and searched the night sky for Natsu.

"Lucy." Zen'aku had stirred. Lucy lowered her head to look at the Dark Mage. "Why did you save me? Am I not your enemy?"

Lucy shrugged, "I can't watch somebody plummet to their death… Besides, you saved my life earlier, so now we're even."

Zen'aku nodded, then dropped his head and closed his eyes.

"Lucy!" Natsu was waving and he and Happy approached.

Lucy got up and rushed to greet the pair. "Good to see you guys ok."

"Of course we're fine." Natsu replied. "He then caught sight of Zen'aku lying against the rocks some distance away.

"So that's why you and Himitsu jumped…"

Natsu began advancing slowly towards the semi-conscious Zen'aku, cracking his knuckles menacing. Lucy quickly grabbed him from behind.

"Natsu, don't." she said. "He's not an enemy."

"What are you talking about? He attacked that train before!"

"Yeah, but even so, I just have a feeling…" Lucy blushed again.

"Hey you, wake up." Natsu had snuck away from Lucy and began shaking Zen'aku awake.

"Wa… Natsu!" Lucy cried, rushing over to stop Natsu once again.

Suddenly, she felt Happy grabbing her leg. "What, Happy?"

Happy shook his head and gestured for Lucy to watch.

"It's ok Lucy." Zen'aku had reawakened and was staggering to his feet. Natsu grabbed his collar and dragged him to his feet.

"Lemme ask you one thing." Natsu growled.

He set Zen'aku back on his feet and extended his hand. "How would you like to join Fairy Tail?"

Zen'aku gasped in surprise. Behind Natsu, Lucy and Happy were both smiling.

Slowly, Zen'aku extended his own hand to shake with Natsu.

"Sure."

Meanwhile, Himitsu was inside the Black Friday guild hall, holding a singular platinum key.

"I couldn't show them this..." Himitsu whispered to herself as she lifted the key straight above her head. "Open, Gate of the Raging Dragon: Draco!" And in a flash of light, the entire guild crumbled down around Himitsu, who now had a dark aura surrounding her.

"Sting-kun..." Himitsu said but the rest of her sentence was drowned out by an earth-cracking roar.

The Fairy Tail group, with Zen'aku in tow, were again aboard the train, this time heading for the town of Magnolia and the Fairy Tail guild. And, like before, Natsu was weak with motion sickness.

"Ugh, why is it always the train?" Natsu groaned weakly. He then retched and his face turned green in color.

Lucy, meanwhile was busy wrapping Zen'aku's left arm with tape. His arm guard was lying on the seat next to them.

"There, how's that feel?" Lucy said as she finished. Zen'aku held his leftarm above his head and turned his arm. Then he clenched his fist tightly.

"Perfect." He said.

Lucy smiled, then turned her attention to Natsu, who was still lying motionless on the seat opposite her.

"Is he always like this?" Zen'aku asked, slightly startling Lucy.

"Yeah…" She said sadly. "It's the curse of being a Dragon Slayer. They can't handle transportation."

Zen'aku laughed. "So then why was he still sick when you carried him off the train?"

At this, Lucy gave Natsu a look of venom, "I wonder…"

Happy poked his head out the window, then he said. "We're coming to the station now."

As the train pulled into the station, the group walked off the train and onto the platform, Happy first flying ahead of the others. Zen'aku appeared next, carrying Natsu over his shoulder. Lucy brought up the rear, dragging the luggage.

When Natsu realized that he was off the train, he jumped for joy, knocking Zen'aku to the ground in the process.

"Yeah, I'm off that cursed train!" He shouted.

Zen'aku was laughing as he picked himself up from the ground, clutching his nose.

Lucy sighed.

"Alright, let's go home guys!" Natsu shouted.

"Aye sir!" Happy responded eagerly, flying off ahead of the group.

"Wait, Natsu!" Lucy groaned, once again running to catch up with her eccentric guildmates.

Zen'aku remained behind at the station. He stared into the setting sun.

What a turn of events. He thought. I went from a Dark Guild Mage to a Fairy Tail Mage in little under a day.

"Zen'aku! Hurry up!" Lucy called behind him. Zen'aku turned and began walking toward his new guildmates as he put his back into the sunset.


	2. Chapter 2a: Building of Character

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail! **

**AN: So, I'm a little sick so I've have nothing better to do than write :) which I love. Anyways a couple of Chapter's from here on in will be broken up into A&B sections. These sections of the chapter divide the going on's in Fairy Tail and Sabertooth. I hope you like this!**

"There, how does that suit you?" A young woman asked, with a big smile.

Zen'aku took a look in the mirror. There, on the left side of the back of his neck, near the left shoulder, was the mark of Fairy Tail, black in color.

"It looks good on you I think." The young woman continued.

"Thank you, Mirajane." Zen'aku replied. He turned to grab his shirt, which was hanging on the chair in front of the mirror. He then put on his shirt and looked at himself in the mirror. His shirt was now grey, short sleeved, and high collared. He still wore the same dark blue pants, purple belt, blue cloth and open toed sandals. On his right arm, he wore a dark blue wrist warmer. On his left arm, he wore arm belts that covered his heavily taped arm, which was taped all the way up to his shoulder. He also had been letting his hair hang over his forehead.

"You know," Mirajane popped up behind Zen'aku in the mirror, "This new look makes you look quite handsome."

Zen'aku smirked, and then he closed his eyes, raised his left hand to cover his left eye and opened his right eye. As before, the iris of his eye was black, except for the strange red pin-wheel pattern in the center.

Mirajane leaned over his shoulder to get a closer look at his eye too. "Wow, that's some unique eye. Is the other like that too?"

Zen'aku nodded. He removed his hand and opened his other eye, confirming the fact to Mirajane.

Even after joining this guild, these eyes are still the same… Zen'aku thought.

"So Mira, where is everyone?" Zen'aku turned away from the mirror and walked over to the bar next to them. He took a seat on one of the stools and looked out at the rest of the guildhall, which was mostly empty. Mirajane took her place behind the bar and began to continue cleaning a glass mug while also looking out at the nearly empty guild.

"Well, with this year's Grand Magic Games coming up, everyone's been either training or taking as many jobs as they can. I bet they all want to be chosen to compete this year." She finished with a smile.

Mirajane handed Zen'aku a drink. Zen'aku took a drink, and then he said to Mirajane, "So why aren't you training? Rumor has it; you're an S-class mage of Fairy Tail."

Mirajane blushed, "Well, I prefer not to fight." She said.

"I see…" Zen'aku returned to scanning the room.

All around Fairy Tail, there showed signs that it wasn't as quiet as it is now. The biggest example of this was an overturned table and several broken chairs.

"This kind of thing happens a lot." Mirajane called, as if to answer a question.

"I guess so…" Zen'aku agreed. "Knowing Natsu…"

At this, Mirajane laughed again.

The doors to the guild hall opened. All the members of the guild turned to look at the new arrivals. "Oh, here we go." The tall, old man Macao said.

"Member of the Gremlin Ghouls guild coming through. Make way, Fairy trash!" The tall, blond man who spoke these words was wearing no shirt and large, baggy training pants, held up by a fancy belt. He walked through the guild hall, sneering as he made his way to the bar where Mirajane, Macao and Zen'aku were.

"Well hello, Mirajane, my lovely." He spoke in his silkiest voice.

"H-hi, Jāku" Mirajane responded, slightly nervous.

"Oh come now, there's no need to be bashful about us." Jāku boasted. "Every time I come to visit you, you're always so shy. But when we're alone…" His expression grew alarmingly creepy. Macao rolled his eyes.

Jāku's demeanor changed in an instant. "You got a problem, wimp?"

"Yeah I do. Don't barge into our guild without permission to see one of our mages who isn't even interested in you!"

In the blink of an eye, the scene changed. Jāku had swung his leg with an attempt at kicking Macao. But at the same instant, Zen'aku had entered the fray and blocked Jāku's kick with his arm.

Macao and Mirajane both gasped, as neither of them had anticipated the situation.

"Who do you think you are?" Jāku growled. "I was about to knock this guy out with one kick and you had to interfere. Now you're my target."

"Are you a part of Fairy Tail?" Zen'aku responded calmly. "I've never seen you around here."

Jāku laughed openly. "Are you an idiot? I told you where I'm from. Gremlin Ghouls guild. The best guild in the town of Magnolia!"

"You must not be very well informed then." Zen'aku used his icy tone again. "Because Fairy Tail is the only guild on the map in this town."

At this, Jāku aimed a punch at Zen'aku, which caught him square in the face. He smashed back into the bar. The glasses that were on the counter went flying backwards and Mirajane had to duck to avoid being hit.

"Ha, are you really that stupid? You can't stand up to me!" Jāku laughed again.

"You really shouldn't let your guard down." Zen'aku's voice echoed in Jāku's ear. He froze because, at that moment, the Zen'aku in front of him vanished in a puff of smoke. Zen'aku drew his sword and placed it around Jāku's neck. Again, Mirajane and Macao gasped.

"Are you going to continue to cause trouble here? Or are you going to leave? The choice is yours." Zen'aku spoke in his icy voice once more.

"Why you-" Jāku attempted another assault, this time swinging his elbow at Zen'aku's face. This time Zen'aku dodged, re-sheathed his sword and turned to face Jāku

"You fool. People like you don't learn." Zen'aku formed a magic circle around his left arm. Instantly, a brilliant light cloaked his arm, with light shining off in all directions.

"Get out of our guild." Zen'aku charged, thrusting his left arm cloaked in the shining light, connecting with Jāku's chest.

"Solar Magic: Judgment of the Sun!"

The doors of the guild burst wide open. Out of those doors flew Jāku. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

From the depths of the guild, a figure appeared. He was massaging his left arm as he walked. When he got outside, he stopped on the top step of the guild and addressed the unconscious man.

"Don't ever bother Fairy Tail again."

Zen'aku turned and walked back inside the guild. The doors closed behind him and a rousing cheer greeted him.

"Great job! Well done! Way to show that guy!" They said.

Zen'aku calmly walked back to the bar, picked up his stool, and sat back down.

"Thank you for your help, Zen'aku." Mirajane said. She nudged Macao hard in the ribs. He started then said, "thank you" as well.

Zen'aku said nothing. He drained his glass then walked over to the job request board. He chose a job and handed the note to Mirajane for verification.

"Another person needed for capture by the Magic Council?" Mirajane sighed. "Zen'aku, you always do these kinds of jobs."

Zen'aku shrugged.

Just then, the doors to the guild opened once again. This time, the visitor was greeted warmly by members of the guild.

"Welcome back, Master!" They chorused in unison.

Master Makarov walked toward the front of the guild. Once he reached the front, he jumped up onto the counter. Then, he turned and addressed his guild.

"Everyone! Listen up!"

The chatter around the guild died out as everyone turned to listen to their Master.

Makarov cleared his throat. "As you all know, I have been in meetings with other guild masters for the past few days. We have discussed many different things, agreed on many things and argued with each other on many issues."

"As we met today, I was asked a question. The question was: Who among your guild is considered the most destructive?"

"I cringed when asked this question. Our guild is well known throughout Fiore as being one of the most destructive guilds. If we had to pay for all the property damage we have caused, we would have to sell the guild!"

This drew murmurs throughout the guild.

"However," Makarov boomed, causing silence once more. "We have been given a chance to prove ourselves. Master Bob was given a mission a few days ago."

Makarov reached into his pocket and drew out a piece of paper. He cleared his throat, then he read, "Help in construction of a new restaurant. Aid in gathering of materials, construction and protection of other workers is needed."

Makarov held the paper high in the air. "Ok, now which one of you will accept this quest?"

Mirajane quickly piped up, "Give it to Zen'aku!" Makarov turned and addressed the newest mage.

"Well now, that's a perfect idea. You've only been here a week, so probably don't know too much about our reputation."

Makarov turned and addressed the guild once more, "That is all!" The crowd resumed talking and in a few seconds, the noise level returned to normal.

"Master-" Zen'aku started, but Makarov cut him off. "Look Zen'aku, since joining the guild, all you've done so far is capture missions. This mission will strengthen your public image."

Zen'aku sighed, "Of course Master. I'll be off immediately." Zen'aku turned and walked out of the guild, clutching the job request given to him by Makarov.

"Do you think he'll be ok, Master?" Mirajane asked in an undertone.

Makarov nodded, "He may not be the best people person, but he's incredibly skilled. Skilled enough to do this job fast and correctly. This will change some people's perception of our guild!" He laughed. Then, he grabbed a glass handed to him by Mirajane and drained it.

"Sheesh, glad I'm green enough to do this job for Makarov."

Zen'aku was walking down the road toward the site of the construction. Soon, he came to the town of Kensetsu. As he walked through the town square, he asked the people on the street the location of the construction site.

"Sure, it's over near the town square." A man with holding his son pointed toward the center of town. Zen'aku made his way over. He had reached the center of town. Sure enough, there was a crew of builders already hard at work.

"Ah, you must be the mage that we requested." The foreman broke away from the other workers and shook hands with Zen'aku.

"Alright, now that you're here, we can speed up production. We have to have this restaurant built in time for its grand opening in one week."

Zen'aku nodded, and then he elaborated, "Let's get started then. Where shall we start?"

The foreman turned to one of his co-workers, who broke away from the group.

"I need you to go with Rōdō-sha into that forest and gather up wood for the foundation."

"Alright, let's go." Rōdō-sha led the way into the forest. Zen'aku followed at a short distance.

As the two disappeared into the forest, one of the other workers whispered to the foreman, "Shouldn't you have told that mage about the dangers of the forest?"

The foreman laughed, "Didn't you see where that mage is from? He's from Fairy Tail."

At this, the worker chuckled evilly, "Time to make his life miserable."

As Rōdō-sha and Zen'aku made their way deeper into the nearby forest. Every step that they walked, it grew increasingly dark.

"You know where we're going?" Zen'aku called from behind.

Rōdō-sha replied, "It's just a bit farther ahead. This spot is where the best trees are."

Eventually, they came to a spot where the trees parted and sunset was allowed to enter. Zen'aku shielded his eyes from the sunlight. All around, there showed signs of trees that were recently cut down. Rōdō-sha pointed to a patch of trees at the edge of the enclosure.

"We'll start with those trees there."

Zen'aku nodded; then he drew his sword and slashed. The tree was cut clean at the base and slid off the stump and fell to the ground, shaking the dust and dirt on the ground as it hit.

Wow, this guy cut that tree down using only his sword and his strength. Rōdō-sha thought to himself. Just how strong is this guy?

"Alright, we need about 15 to 20 trees downed. Then we'll transport them back to the site."

Zen'aku nodded and slashed again, downing another tree with one swipe.

Within minutes, there were 20 trees on the ground. Zen'aku re sheathed his sword and addressed Rōdō-sha, "Ok, we've got all the trees down. How do we transport them to the site?"

Rōdō-sha pointed to Zen'aku, which prompted a sigh from the mage.

"Hah…hah…" Zen'aku panted as he dragged the last tree to the construction site. "Ok, that's the last tree."

Unbelievable. He dragged all 20 trees from the enclosure by himself. The foreman was speechless.

"Good work." The foreman spoke up. "Next step is cutting the wood to the proper length."

He beckoned Zen'aku over to where 2 workers were busy measuring the trees that were cut down.

"These guys are busy sizing the logs to the correct size. Once they measure it correctly, you can cut the logs for them."

"Got it." Zen'aku drew his sword once again and proceeded to cut one log that was already ready for him.

Let's see him handle this task. The foreman thought to himself.

Sometime later, the foreman walked around to check on the progress of his workers. As he checked the site where to installation was taking place, he noticed that his guys were behind schedule.

"C'mon guys, let's go!" He yelled in frustration. "We're on a deadline here. At the rate you guys are moving, we'll never finish this job!"

"Need some help, boss?" Zen'aku had appeared behind the foreman, causing him to jump.

"No, you need to finish preparing the wood-" but he froze as he looked back toward the wood preparation site. There, in perfect piles, were all 20 trees, sectioned up properly according to the needs of the installation site.

The foreman's jaw dropped. He looked back at Zen'aku standing there. His clothes were dirty and ripped from carrying the trees from the forest and he was sweating profusely.

Impossible. There's no way… The foreman couldn't believe it. This mage is out-working my own guys. This is embarrassing.

"Ok then, come over here." The foreman walked over to the group installing the boards.

"Ok, I need you to hold the boards in place while our guys stick them together.

Zen'aku nodded and jumped down into the foundation of the structure. Almost immediately, the foreman noticed that construction was moving faster than expected.

As work progressed throughout the day, the foreman kept moving Zen'aku between retrieving trees from the forest, sectioning the wood for installation and installing the wood.

"Ok boys, quittin' time!" The foreman's words prompted celebration from the workers at large.

The foreman then beckoned Zen'aku over to him after dismissing his workers for the night, "Ok son, lemme tell you something. When I first heard what guild you came from, I was extremely skeptical of your abilities. But after today, I'll be happy to have you hear, helping the guys finish this job."

"Thanks." Zen'aku said, then he added, "So what are we working on tomorrow?"

"Well," The foreman chuckled as he stroked his beard. "Tomorrow, we're going to finish installing the foundation and begin to build up the walls. I'm hoping by the end of tomorrow, the walls will be up so we can build the roof the next day."

"Got it, see you tomorrow." Zen'aku waved to the foreman as he walked toward the site where the workers were staying during the construction.

Alright, let's get started. Zen'aku cracked his knuckles as sprinted off into the forest when the foreman was out of sight.

"Alright boys, time to get to work!" The foreman's words drew grumbles from the workers, who were in the middle of breakfast.

As the foreman and the workers were walking to the job site, conversation started.

"So how are the kids?" One worker asked.

"Man, I wanted to get a day off, but I really need the money." Another one said.

As the crew approached the work site, they all stopped dead in their tracks when they saw the building that stood before them. Not only was the foundation finished and the walls standing up, but Zen'aku was also putting the finishing touches on the roof of the restaurant.

"Good morning boss," Zen'aku announced to the stunned crew. The foreman just stood there.

Impossible! I don't care how good this mage is. There's no possible way that he did a full day and a half of work in one night. It's impossible!

"Boss, let's go. If we work as hard as him, we'll finish the job today." The crew was poking the foreman, trying to get his attention. Finally, the foreman came to and addressed the crew at large.

"Alright guys, everyone needs to work as hard as they can. If everything goes perfect today, we'll finish this job before quitting time today!" He pumped his fist in the air and the crew roared their approval. The crew began moving at a pace that was the fastest the foreman had ever seen.

This mage is an inspiration to everyone. The foreman couldn't hold back a smile any longer. Fairy Tail. You have yourself an excellent mage.

As the sun set later that day, the crew and Zen'aku were just finishing up the construction of the restaurant. By this time, even the citizens of Kensetsu had noticed the speed of the construction.

"Wow, I can't believe that they are almost finished." One said.

Then, one person stepped out the crowd and shouted so the whole square could hear him.

"You call that a building? It looks like it was built for the blind!" The speaker of these words was none other than Jāku. This time, he had other people with him.

"It's the Gremlin Ghouls!" A person in the crowd shouted. At these words, panic consumed the crowds and they all ran in different directions. Chaos ensued; people were running into each other in an attempt to get as far away from the Gremlin Ghouls as fast as possible.

"Hey, Fairy trash! Get over here!" Jāku roared as he and his guild started walking towards the construction site. The construction crew began murmuring among themselves.

"These guys again, why are they always bothering us?" One worker asked.

"Dunno, but I'm getting tired of this. Because of these guys, we had to ask another guild for help."

Zen'aku asked, "What's the story with these guys?"

"Well," One worker sighed. "These guys were originally hired to help us with our construction. But these guys were very unhelpful and unproductive, leading the boss to fire them. Ever since then, this same guild has been coming by and harassing us and, in some cases, destroying some of our stuff."

"Tch." Zen'aku got up from where he was working and began walking over to where the Gremlin Ghouls were standing.

"Wait up Zen'aku!" The foreman came running over and stopped Zen'aku.

"These guys are big trouble. Just ignore them and maybe they'll go away."

"Sorry boss, but I can't just sit here and do nothing." Zen'aku pushed past the foreman and continued toward the Gremlin Ghouls. "If I know these guys well enough, they won't just leave us alone. They're intent on messing with us. So, I'm going to teach them a lesson."

Again. He thought as he walked by.

"Really, you're gonna stand in my way again?"

It was Jāku who spoke. He stepped up to face Zen'aku and cracked his knuckles threateningly.

"You've embarrassed me before, but this time I've got my guild behind me. I can't lose!"

He rushed toward Zen'aku and grabbed him by the face. He then proceeded to lift him up and smash him to the ground, but noticed something was wrong.

"That's interesting. I sense your magic somewhere else."

For Zen'aku had appeared behind Jāku and started drawing his sword. Jāku launched the Zen'aku that he held in his hand at the other Zen'aku. The flying Zen'aku dispersed just before making contact, creating a smoke screen that engulfed Zen'aku.

I got him. Jāku thought. He stared into the smoke and gasped. He saw Zen'aku's eyes, which were glowing clearly through the smoke.

"Nope, I've got you." Zen'aku spoke.

"Solar Magic: Sunset Burst!"

There was an explosion which erupted just away from the construction site. The workers who were still at work stopped and everyone shielded their eyes from the light that came from the explosion. When the light faded away, everyone looked over at the source of that light. What they saw was Zen'aku holding his hand up to his right eye and Jāku unconscious on the ground, chothes burned and smoking.

"That's pretty interesting." Zen'aku said softly. "You have Sensory Perception Magic. That's an interesting combination when coupled with hand-to-hand combat."

"H-how do you know?" Jāku had regained consciousness, but remained lying down.

Zen'aku smirked, "The speed at which you were able to determine the scope and intent of my Doppleganger Magic led me to believe that you used magic."

Ok, now then…Zen'aku removed his hand from his eye. There was a trail of blood coming from his right eye and you could see veins in the whiteness of his eyes. "Time to forfeit your magic!" He said these last words aloud.

"Eclipse Magic: Consumption in Darkness Technique!"

In an instant, the sun and all its light disappeared, despite there being nothing in there to block the sun previously. It was all pitch black. There were screams of little children and sounds of their parents comforting them. As soon as everyone watching got used to the darkness, the sun and its light returned. People had to shield their eyes from the brightness of the sun. The scene in front of them hadn't changed. Zen'aku was still holding his hand up to his right eye, Jāku was still unconscious, and the Gremlin Ghouls were still observing the fight from a distance.

"Hmph, seems this Sensory Perception Magic is not magic you can turn off." Zen'aku muttered.

"You stole Jāku's magic?" One of the members of Gremlin Ghouls gasped, with a look of pure terror on his face.

"That's right." Zen'aku replied.

"Just what are you?" Another asked.

Zen'aku turned to face the speaker of these words. "I am…"

"…A God." There was another blinding light that enveloped the entire Gremlin Ghouls guild. Again, the citizens shielded their eyes from the light that followed. When the light faded, the crowd saw that the entire guild was knocked unconscious and Zen'aku fell to his knees in pain, covering his left eye.

"Thank you so much for your help for these past few days."

It was a few days after the encounter with the Gremlin Ghouls. Zen'aku and the construction workers were talking with the mayor of Kensetsu and some members of their leadership council. Behind them, the completed restaurant build towered over them. The mayor was thanking Zen'aku and the construction crew. The mayor then turned to one of his associates and took a large bag that the associate was holding. Then he turned back to Zen'aku and said, "Here is your reward for completing the job." Zen'aku bowed in appreciation and accepted the gift. The mayor then handed out money to each of the crew members and foreman in turn. Each member of the crew accepted their monetary gifts graciously. After the mayor left, the construction crew began to pack their personal belongings to move toward their next job. Zen'aku approached the crew as they were about to leave. The foreman broke away from the group and confronted Zen'aku. There were tears of joy in his eyes.

"Thank you so much for your help." He said, the tears beginning to flow from his eyes. "Because of your help, we've received the most pay ever from a job this size."

The foreman continued to thank Zen'aku profusely until the members of his crew were calling him, saying that it's time to go. The foreman continued to wave and he and his crew walked away and disappeared out of sight beyond the town limits.

"Well, this mission is over, time to go home."

Zen'aku picked up his bag and started toward home. As he made his way toward the train station, a hooded figure appeared out of the shadows. The figure stopped in front of Zen'aku, forcing him to stop as well.

"Beware of the guild with the bladed fangs." It said.

"Tch," Zen'aku snarled. "Is that it or are there more details involved?"

The figure shook its head, and then walked into the dark alley between two buildings. As Zen'aku peered down the alleyway, the figure had disappeared.

"The bladed guild…" Zen'aku said aloud. Then he thought Does that mean, Sabertooth?

I've heard of Sabertooth before. They had a fierce rivalry with Fairy Tail in last year's Grand Magic Games. I wonder why I need to fear this guild then…

"My train is leaving soon." Zen'aku continued on toward the train station on the outskirts of Kensetsu. He showed the ticket lady his ticket and boarded the train that would take him back to Magnolia.

**AN: I hope you liked this chapter. Please R&R for me with any suggestions/feedback you might have for me :)**


	3. Chapter 2b: Preperations

**A/N: Ok, so I'm just going to give you a little warning here. In the next few chapters, Sting's character might be tweaked a little because of stuff that'll happen in later chapters. Please don't hate these changes, but please give me some reviews :D I love reviews.**

"Where's Himitsu?" Jiemma questioned Sting, who casually shrugged. "That mission shouldn't've taken this long!" Jiemma was getting furious, but as if right on cue, the doors to the guild opened. Himitsu walked in and Jiemma was already in her face.

"What took you so long?" Jiemma threatened, and Himitsu turned her face.

"Fairy Tail took the same mission so I had to tangle with them." Himitsu simply replied. At this remark, Sting got out of his chair.

"You fought with the Fairy's?" His face got close to Himitsu, and she blushed.

"K-kinda. Well N-Natsu was there s-so I didn't f-fight them..." Himitsu poked her fingers together in embarrassment.

"So you let them get away!" Jiemma raised his voice, and the red tint faded from Himitsu's face.

"Yes...because I want to be able to crush the Fairy's in front of everyone!" Himitsu smiled devilishly and she began to laugh. I didn't destroy them there because I want to show Sting that I am strong. Himitsu thought as Jiemma left and went to his office.

"So Sting-" Himitsu started, but was cut off by the voice of a certain brown exceed.

"The Great Sting Eucliffe doesn't talk to weak people!" The brown exceed pointed its small paw at Himitsu.

"Lector!" Sting yelled, but the brown exceed cross his arms.

"Don't waste your time when you could be training to defeat Natsu!" Lector pointed out, and Sting growled.

"Natsu!" Sting picked up the brown exceed, and gently placed him on top of his head. He walked over to the job request board and selected a job. As he walked out of the guild, he turned around and winked at Himitsu. "You want to join us?" Himitsu blushed and she followed Sting out of the guild.

"Where's Rogue-sama?" Himitsu asked.

"Rogue is on a different mission. But he should be joining us on the train." Sting cringed when he said train. Himitsu laughed as she got their tickets, not noticing the exceed's dark stare. "Here are the tickets for 'The Blooming Capital'" Himitsu blushed when her hand brushed against Sting's. Now, with their tickets in hand, the three boarded the train.

"Uggh..." Sting turned green in the face, and vomit threatens to make an appearance. Being immobilized by motion sickness, Sting laid his head on Himitsu's lap. Himitsu blushed ferociously when Sting fell asleep. As Sting lay on her lap, Himitsu combed her fingers through his hair.

"Don't...ruin...my hair." Sting begged, but Himitsu resumed. I didn't expect his hair to be this silky. Himitsu thought as she brushed her hands against his hair. Lector scoffed, and he crossed his arms.

"You shouldn't be touching Sting-kun." Lector said quite sternly as he watch Himitsu. "The Great Sting Eulcliffe shouldn't be touched by your hands." Himitsu raised her eyebrow, and looked at Lector.

"Are you saying that I'm not good enough for him?" Himitsu asked, but Sting was the one to respond.

"Himi…get me…off this... train…" Sting's words were barely audible for the motion sickness was causing him great discomfort. Finally, the train began to slow, and soon, came to a halt.

Sting, for a brief moment, recovered from his motion sickness. As if on cue, a black haired mage with red eyes walked into their compartment.

"Rogue!" Sting said, but Rogue didn't say anything.

"Frosch!" Lector flew out of his seat, and hugged the young exceed. "You look well."

"Fro thinks so too!" Giving yes usually saying, Fro replied, and Lector laughed.

"Sting…what is she doing here?" Rogue asked menacingly and he put an emphasis on the word "she".

"She has come to train with us…" Sting replied, and Himitsu blushed. Rogue nodded, and sat in a seat across from Sting, next to Lector and Frosch. The train started, and both Sting and Rogue were being affected by their motion sickness. Sting laid on Himitsu's lap again, but Rogue managed to remain sitting up.

Like before, Himistu ruffled Sting's hair with her fingers.

"Who's the weak one now?" Himitsu whispered into Sting's ear. Sting's throat burned, yet he managed to speak.

"Himi…I swear…if you ruin…my hair…" Just then, Sting vomited all over the floor of the car.

"So if I ruin your hair, you'll vomit on the floor?" Himitsu teased, still whispering into his ear as she caressed his hair. Sting blushed as he held back another round of vomit. After some time, the train finally arrived at Crocus, "The Blooming Capital." Sting and Rogue were the first to get off, but were closely followed by the two exceeds. Himitsu was the last to step of the train.

"Rogue, you, Lector and Frocsh can go meet the client." Sting stated, obviously taking a leadership role.

"Sting-kun, aren't you coming too?" Lector asked as he received a pat on the head from Sting.

"No, I have to get rooms at the hotel for us. This mission will take us a little bit, so Himistu and I are going to get us some rooms." Lector nodded, hugged Sting, and then left with Rogue and Frosch to find the client. "Let's go Himi." Sting instructed, and Himitsu blushed at her nickname.

Himitsu tagged along with Sting as they entered a hotel. The hotel they checked in at only had to room's available to them. But even so, Sting agreed to the offer, and took the rooms keys for both rooms. Himitsu and Sting walked into both rooms together, only to find that they were basically identical.

After checking out the rooms, the two left, in search of Rogue and the exceeds.

"Where do you think they are?" Himitsu asked as they walked down the streets of Crocus.

"They could be anywhere…" Sting said, and Himitsu laughed.

"You don't sound the least bit concerned, Sting-kun." Himitsu laughed, but blushed slightly when Sting winked at her.

"What concerns me is where we are going to eat. I'm starved!" Himitsu laughed as Sting lead her into a bar. When the two walked into the bar, cheers and screams greeted them.

"It's Sting!"

"Who's that girl with the Great Sting Eulcliffe?"

"Sabertooth! Sabertooth!" People shouted at the two, but they ignored it.

"I'm probably getting this much attention because I'm with you…" Himitsu blushed when Sting smiled.

"Nah! You're part of Sabertooth! The strongest guild in Fiore! You'll be known." Sting comforted Himitsu, and she blushed even more. The bar tender slid shots of whisky over to the Sabertooth Mages. They graciously took the shots, and drank each one they received.

In minutes, both mages were smashed.

"Stingy-bee~ " Himitsu purred in a sing-song tone.

"Yes cutie?" Sting wrapped his arm around Himitsu, and nestled his nose in her neck.

"Stingy-bee, is such a…cutie~ " Himitsu sang as Sting fixed her hair. "Stingy-bee, is such a…hotie~ " Himitsu took another shot of whiskey before she plopped on the floor. Sting pouted, and picked Himitsu up bridal style.

"It's…time to go, to the hotel…Himi" Sting swayed slightly as he walked towards the door.

A large headache attacked Himitsu the moment she opened her eyes slightly. How drunk did I get last night? Himitsu wondered as felt her way around the plush bed. Mmm…it's so soft… Himitsu thought, still feeling some of the affects the alcohol had on her brain.

She adjusted her head on the squishy pillow, but her eyes remained close, in fear of the pain to come. Instead, she learned of her surroundings by feeling around with her hand. Himitsu moved her hand to the pillow, the blanket covering her, the matress, and then, onto something else.

Himitsu slightly opened her eyes to examine what it was, but was attacked by a headache. But even though she only got a split second look, Himitsu turned a cherry red color. Himitsu tried to sit up, but something strong and hard held her down.

Finally, Himitsu gained the courage to fully open her eyes, and she got a good look at her surroundings. She was in the hotel room, in the soft bed, with a semi-naked Sting Eulcliffe next to her. Sting was shirtless, but thankfully, he left his pants on.

After Himitsu looked at his body, she ended up catching herself staring at it. Himitsu buried her face in her pillow.

"Ey princess; you alive over there?" Sting's soft voice made Himitsu blush even harder. He called me princess! But, he's probably still drunk somewhat… Himitsu thought as admired the softness of the pillow. "Princess?" Sting rubbed Himitsu head with his rough hand. When Sting got no reply, he decided to get up, despite the hang-over he was bound to have.

"Princess, I'm going to take a shower, so don't walk in." Sting teased and he closed the door to the bathroom. Yep, he's definitely drunk still…or he hit his head. Himitsu thought as the water in the shower started. I better just suck it up and deal with the headache I'm going to have. Himitsu told herself when she got out of bed.

"Well that wasn't as bad as I thought…" Himitsu's voice was filled with joy before the headache came. "Gah! It hurts!" Himitsu shouted, and Sting rushed out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel around his waist.

"Himi! Are you OK?" Sting asked.

"Ugh, yeah I'm fine. Just this stupid hang-over is giving me a headache!" Himitsu responded, and she realized that Sting was only wearing a towel. "Go back in the bathroom and put some clothes on!" Himitsu shouted, but Sting just smirked.

"Whatever you wish, princess." Sting kissed Himitsu's hand before returning to the bathroom. Blushing as red as a strawberry, Himitsu dived onto the bed. I can't believe he just did that! Himitsu blushed, and her whole body suddenly got warmer.

She turned her head, and Sting pulled her into an embrace. What is this feeling? Sting wondered. But in all honesty, I kind of like this… Sting thought as Himitsu pushed herself into Sting, tightening the embrace. Himitsu was still blushing from what happened earlier, but a smile was stuck on her face. Sting breathed into her neck, and she sighed.

"Stingy-bee?" Himitsu blushed when she called Sting by the nickname her drunken self gave him. "Why did I sleep with you?" Himitsu asked, and Sting moved his head to on top Himitsu's. Sting kissed Himitsu's head, and whispered into her ear.

"I don't know…All I know is that I want to see the beautiful lady I'm with right now take down Fairy Tail in this year's Grand Magic Games."

"Sure you do. Now you should leave so I can shower." Himitsu said. Sting shrugged, and left Himitsu in her room alone. Oddly, once Sting stepped of his room, Rogue was just leaving his.

"Rogue, you going to get something to eat?" Sting asked as his stomach growled.

"I am uninterested…" Rogue simply replied and the two exceeds walked out of the room yawning.

"Ahh, Rogue-sama, Fro slept well!" The cute little green suited exceed said, poking the black haired mage.

"That's good Frosch." Rogue smiled down at the young exceed. Rogue always had a soft spot for the exceed, and this time was not an exception.

"Sting-kun! I missed you!" Lector said as he jumped into Sting's arms. "Where were you last night?"

"Ahh, I missed you too Lector! And last night I got drunk at a bar…" Lector shook his head and said, "of course you did." Sting laughed and Rogue picked up Frosch, and put her on his shoulders.

"Let's go eat." Rogue said blankly

"Fro thinks so too!" And with that, they left the hotel and searched for a place to eat.

Himitsu just got out of the shower, and put on her usual outfit. After deciding that she wasn't hungry, Himitsu strolled out of the hotel, and decided to look for the client.

"Why do I have to do this as well?" Himitsu asked herself as she bumped into several people. "Hey! Watch where yer going!" Himitsu shouted, but resumed walking. She continued walking until she found the said place of the client.

It was a small, elegant house next to a beautiful flower shop. She knocked on the door, and was greeted by a short woman. You could tell by her skin that she was aged, and she reeked with the smell of pollen. But all in all, the lady appeared to be a nice person. The lady graciously led Himitsu inside, and sat her in a chair around a small, circular table

"So, you're the person that called for help?" Himitsu asked, and the lady nodded as she prepared some tea.

"Yes. I called because some bandits stole my most prized possession." The lady said, but wasn't distraught.

"Could you tell me what it was?" Himitsu questioned, hoping to get an answer about what she was looking for.

"Well, it was a platinum key…" Himitsu zoned out after she heard the words "platinum key". Could it be…? Himitsu pondered what this platinum key was until the lady plopped the cup of tea in front of Himitsu.

"So the bandits were said to be hiding somewhere in the outskirts of Crocus. I've been told they aren't all that strong, but they use their magic to evade their opponents attacks. So they won't be easy to catch. Please help me Ms…"

"I am Himitsu Doragon from Sabertooth." Himitsu smiled and the woman followed suit.

"Are you with the twin dragon slayer on this mission?" The woman asked.

"Yeah, I'm with both the dragon slayers from my guild." And with that, Himitsu made her way out of the house, and into the streets of Crocus.

As she made her way to the rumored place of where the bandits were supposedly hiding, Himitsu questioned the ladies prized possession. People pointed at Himitsu, and in seconds the streets were cleared. Himitsu strutted down the street, a slight menacing look hidden in her eyes. She examined all the individuals around her, but none look like the people Himitsu was looking for.

Himitsu continued her search, and more people joined the gawking crowd.

"Hey! It's that girl who was with The Great Sting Eulcliffe!"

"Is she a Sabertooth Mage?"

"She's quite good looking! Is she going to be in the Daily Sorcerer?" Himitsu didn't like the people staring at her, but if she was part of Sabertooth, she'd have to get used to it. As Himitsu resumed her search, a crowd roared in a nearby square. Himitsu walked over and the crowd made a pathway for her.

"So trash, what did you say about Himi?" A low growling voice asked. Himitsu went into the opening to see that Sting and Rogue had started a fight. Sting was pinning a man to the ground while holding a pancake on a fork near his mouth. Rogue on the other hand, was giving the other people death glares.

"I said she was weak, just like your brain power!" The man retorted, and Sting retaliated by breaking his arm.

"You going to take back what you said?" Sting threatened as he gave his cocky smirk.

"Never!" The man whimpered, and Sting pushed the man's broken arm into the ground.

"Then you will pay dearly." Sting said, clearly amused by the man's suffering.

"Stingy-kun!" Himitsu rushed forward, and jumped into Sting.

"Himitsu? Where have you been?" Sting asked, smelling the fragrance of the hotel's shampoo in Himitsu's hair.

"I met with the client, and she told me the bandits that stole her prized possession were around here somewhere." Himitsu explained. Sting nodded and looked back at the man.

"Holy Breath." Sting unleashed his attack on the man, but hit nothing but the ground. "How did I…?"

"Open, Gate of the Scales: Libra." Libra made her appearance, and looked to Himitsu for instruction. "Libra, alter the gravity of everyone in the crowd backwards." Libra nodded, and immediately, the crowd flew backwards just as a giant explosion filled the square.

"Open, Gate of the Fish: Pisces. Immediately, Pisces' two bodies came from the light, and they went into the air. "Libra, alter that man's gravity upwards." Himitsu commanded as she pointed to a man in the crowd.

"Hai!" Libra did as she was told, and the man flew upwards, immediately spotted by Pisces.

"Pisces…take him." The darker fish came at the man from above, and the light fish came from below. The two fished collided, and smoke was released from where they hit. Something shot out of the smoke, but was closely followed by Pisces.

"Libra, alter that man's gravity down towards me." Himitsu instructed, and Libra did just that. Himitsu readied her hand on a platinum key, repaired to summon yet another spirit. But Sting attacked first.

"Holy Breath!" The laser like light erupted from Sting's mouth, and struck the man straight through the chest. Soon after, an explosion filled the sky, followed by the remains of the man. All that was left, was part of his clothing, and a shiny key.

Himitsu gasped, and ran forward to pick it up, but another beat her to it.

"Hey! Give that to me!" Himitsu said, but the man shook his head.

"Sorry sexy, no can do." Himitsu's stare hardened.

"Holy Dragon's Claw!" Sting sped forward with a burst of speed, with his hand glowing with a blinding light. His hand made contact with the man's chest, and he was blown back into a building.

"Libra, alter the targets gravity so he sticks to the wall." Libra nodded, and the man's gravity was altered. He was now stuck to the wall, and completely defenseless. "Stingy-kun. Now." Himitsu looked at Sting, who nodded.

"Holy Dragon's Claw!" Sting unleased the same attack, and in a cloud of smoke, made contact. But he didn't hit the man…he it Himitsu. "Himitsu what are you doing!?" Sting yelled, noticing that Himitsu blocked the attack with her arm.

"I don't know!" One second I was behind you, and the next I'm in front!" Himitsu shouted, but was returned with an evil laugh from behind her.

"Transportation Magic. Being able to move anything anywhere in the blink of an eye." Just then, Pisces came down from the sky, and both heads collided at the spot where the man was standing.

Blood splattered against the ground, and a giant dust cloud formed around Pisces. Again, something walked out of the dust. The man whom they were just talking to walked out. One of his hands clutched the spot where the shoulder should be connecting to his bicep on the other arm. Instead, part of his arm was severed, which was followed by a blood trail.

"Gah! I can't believe…I was caught." The man coughed, but he still held the same evil glint in his eyes. "And…you will never…have this key!" The man shouted just as sting used his "Holy Dragon's Claw" to punch the man back. The man cough up blood, and it splattered on the ground.

Then, Rogue stepped in front of Sting and Himitsu.

"Shadow Dragon's Roar!" Rogue said, and the attack left his mouth. The attack collided with the man in mid air and both of them smashed into the wall together. Rogue's uninterested look remained on his face, even after the man smashed into the wall. Sting faced the other two bandits, and they screamed and ran away.

"Ehh? Those people are so pathetic." Sting laughed as Himitsu ran over to the body of the bandit. She noticed the shiny key was still in his blood stained hand. She grasped the key, and gave it a small tug. It wouldn't budge.

"I...I told you...sexy Sabertooth...mage...yo-you wont get this...key fr-from me!" The man was resilient, and his voice filled with pain. "Even if...I die...I'll never gi-give this key to...you." Just then, Himitsu yanked the key, from his hand, cut the man's hand in the process.

"Have fun bleeding out." Himitsu said, both her and Sting smirked.

"And if you insult Himitsu like your teammate over there..." Sting got really close to the man's face, and pointed back at the remains of the man they killed earlier. "...then I will make your death even more painful than his." And with that, Sting got up, and he, Himitsu, Rogue, and the two exceeds walked off.

After they returned to the client, Himisu was granted with great news. THe client said that since they went through so much effort, she allowed them to take the key with them as their reward.

"I can't believe she let us have this!" Himitsu was nearly skipping with joy as she walked close to Sting. The Sabertooth mages were heading back to the guild via the train. So on their way, Himitsu decided to try something.

"Alright...Open, Gate of the Shimmering Steed: Pegasus!"


	4. Chapter 3a: A Test of Faith

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been so busy while school but right now I'm on vacation! Now I have a secret...****_any _****person who gives me a review will get a sneak peak at the next chapter. Hope you like this chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 3a: A Test of Faith:

~Just outside the town of Magnolia~

"Phew, finally at home in Magnolia again." A young woman wearing armor sighed as she noticed the familiar buildings.

"Erza, could you do me a favor?" A young man said, a note of strain in his voice.

"Hm?" Erza turned around, having just noticed that she was carrying a rope, which had tied up the man named Gray Fullbuster; who, as usual, was wearing nothing but his underwear.

"Erza, lemme go!" Gray yelled.

Erza shook her head, "Not until we get back home. You're a danger to all of us if you run around Magnolia naked. Don't you remember last time?"

Gray shuttered, remembering the last time. He and Natsu had gotten into a fight, Natsu had stolen his underwear and ran around town with it. Gray had chased Natsu all around town naked, causing several complaints from the residents of Magnolia. He and Natsu had also destroyed a local restaurant, which the guild was still paying for.

"Master said that you are not allowed to run around the guild unsupervised." Erza continued.

Gray groaned, but accepted his fate and allowed himself to be dragged back to the guild.

Sheeh, like that was my fault anyway. He thought. Natsu was the one who stole my pants anyway. When I get back, I'm gonna pay him back for this.

"Finally, we've made it back home." Erza's words made Gray snap away from his thoughts. They were standing right in front of Fairy Tail, its sign towering high above them. Erza opened the doors to the guild hall and released Gray from his bonds. As Gray untied himself from his bonds, he was greeted enthusiastically by a blue haired woman, who quickly helped him untie himself.

"Oh Gray, you're back, I missed you so much!" Said the woman as she pulled Gray to his feet.

"Oh hi Juvia…" Gray responded and he thanked Juvia, which made her faint with happiness.

"Hello Juvia!" Erza greeted Juvia, but received a cold stare from Juvia.

"Don't touch Gray like that again." She growled, prompting Erza to chuckle nervously.

Just then, she spotted the Master and hurried over to greet him.

"We're back Master." She saluted. The Master smiled and responded, "Welcome back Erza. I trust everything went ok?"

Erza nodded, which drew another smile from Makarov.

Very good, we're just waiting for Natsu's party and Zen'aku to return from their missions, then I'll be making an announcement.

"Who's…?" Erza started to ask, but Makarov had already disappeared.

"You haven't met Zen'aku yet?" A woman's voice called out to Erza from the bar at the back of the guild. "He's actually pretty dreamy…" She added with a serene look on her face.

"Cana…" Erza approached the mage. As usual, Cana was drinking from a huge pitcher of alcohol and her cheeks were rosy as well.

"I've never met the guy, is he new?" Erza continued, a little curious.

Cana smirked before taking another drink. When she finished, she said, "Oh yeah, you wouldn't have met him, since he's only been here a week. He's quite the gentleman I here too." She added with a hiccup.

Erza shook her head.

Meanwhile, Gray and Juvia were sitting at one of the smaller table. Juvia was showing Gray what she made for him.

"Look Gray, they're your favorite treats!" Juvia exclaimed excitedly, offering Gray a pan in which there were dozens of cookies, with Gray's face on every cookie.

Gray shuttered, "Juvia, I can't eat these. It's just weird if I eat myself."

Juvia's eyes sparkled. She pulled out another pan, revealing cookies with her face on every cookie. "Don't worry Gray, Juvia made these for you!"

Gray sighed, but took a bite of one of the Juvia cookies. "Wow Juvia, these are pretty good." This made Juvia faint with happiness again.

The door to the guild hall opened again, and everyone turned to look at who entered the guild.

"We're back!" It was Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Happy and Carla, who have returned from a quest. They were greeted by everyone in the guild. Then, an angry voice addressed Natsu.

"Natsu!" It was Gray, who had rushed at Natsu, in his underwear once again. As he reached Natsu, he wound up and punched Natsu square in the face. Natsu flew back and smashed into the wall of the guild.

"Ha, take that Natsu. That's revenge for earlier. Because of you, Erza had to drag me through town on the way back!"

Natsu popped to his feet and retaliated, knocking Gray off his feet, prompting Juvia to scream, "Gray!"

"Don't blame me that you were caught streaking around town. You ice pervert!"

Gray turned brick red, "What, you're the idiot, flame breath!"

Within minutes, Natsu and Gray were in an all-out brawl. This drew Elfman Strauss, Gajeel Redfox and others into the fray.

"Well, looks like the guild's back to normal now." Mirajane remarked from her usual position behind the bar. Erza nodded, not noticing that the doors to the guild opened once more.

I wonder what that crazy girl was after. Zen'aku had just got off the train after his encounter with Himitsu on the train home after his mission to Kensetsu. He opened the doors to the guild. A roar of sound greeted his ears. Inside the guild, there was a full scale brawl on the inside. Zen'aku made his way through the brawl and the on lookers to the back of the guild, where Erza, Mirajane, Cana and the Master were watching.

"Master, I have returned from my mission." He said. The Master, having just noticed Zen'aku when he approached, nodded. Zen'aku then handled the Master a piece of folded paper. Makarov unfolded the piece of paper and squinted to read what was written. He gasped loud enough to stop the fighting. Everyone turned to look at the Master with some concern.

"Everyone! Listen up!" The Master had gotten to his feet. The guild went extremely quiet.

The Master cleared his throat. "I want to announce a new member of our guild for those who haven't met him already." He gestured at Zen'aku to stand up.

"His name is Zen'aku Muteki." Makarov continued, "He was a former member of the dark guild Black Friday," this drew gasps from the guild "and his main goal is destroying the Dark Wizard Zeref."

"Thank you Master." Zen'aku replied.

Wow. Erza was in awe. Not sure if we can trust him though.

The crowd had begun to disperse once again. Cana was the first to approach Zen'aku, a glassy look in her eyes.

"Wow Zen'aku. That was soooo fast." She said, batting her eyelashes. "You must be pretty strong if you finished that job so fast."

Zen'aku shrugged. Cana continued to talk with Zen'aku, she, blushing more and more as the conversation went on, he, a bored look appearing on his face.

So this is Zen'aku… Erza thought to herself. Well, he sure has a handsome look about him.

"Zen'aku," Erza spoke. Zen'aku turned his gaze to Erza and she started. Even though she could see no malice in his face, his eyes were intimidating.

"Master said that you were a Dark Mage?" Erza continued, in a slightly less confident tone than before.

Zen'aku look darkened, "What of it?" He responded.

"I think that you should know; I don't trust you yet." Erza countered, the confidence returning to her voice.

"Tch," Zen'aku's look darkened even more. "Well, to be honest, I don't care if you trust me or not. But, for the sake of being part of this guild, how would I prove to you that you can trust me?"

By this time, Erza had a fire in her eyes, "Fight me. Only then will I recognize and respect your power."

The two mages now stood face-to-face outside the guild hall on the front yard, Erza and Zen'aku staring each other down.

The refeere, Makarov swung his arms, signaling for the match to begin.

Erza was first to act.

"Requip!" Erza casts her magic, enveloping herself in bright light, obscuring everyone's vision.

"Tch, what is this, a joke?" Zen'aku roared when he saw Erza's transformation. Erza had transformed into her Seduction Armor, which drew several wolf whistles and nose bleeding from the crowd.

"Erza, quit fooling around and beat this guy!" Natsu yelled from the crowd.

Erza looked down, having noticed that something was wrong. "Seduction Armor? This isn't the armor that I wanted…" It didn't work anyway. He didn't flinch in the slightest. She thought.

"Alright, no more games, Requip!" Erza cast her magic again, this time transforming into her bikini. Zen'aku, now visibly annoyed, began to draw his sword.

"I see, if you're not going to fight, I'll just finish you now!"

Zen'aku covered his right eye with his right hand. Erza, still in her bikini, smiled.

Now I'll see his true power. She thought to herself.

"Eclipse Magic: Eternal Darkness Torture!"

They were once again in the pitch dark room with the endless row of shackles. This time, the prisoner was chained to one of the shackles along the wall. Erza, in her Heart Kreuz Armor this time, panted as she eyed her captor. Zen'aku's footsteps echoed throughout the entire hallway as he approached.

Erza struggled to free herself from the chains that bound her, making a loud noise that drowned out the approaching footsteps.

As Zen'aku reached Erza, she asked, "Where am I?"

Zen'aku replied, "You are inside Eternal Darkness, a prison created to hold my enemies."

"I'm confused as to how I got here though, as I feel no different, other than being chained to this wall."

Erza's reply shocked Zen'aku slightly. She feels no pain or fear? He thought to himself. The whole purpose of this technique is to demoralize the spirit so that their defenses are weak enough to-"

"So this is, an illusion?" Erza continued, further shocking Zen'aku.

"Yes," Zen'aku replied after a long pause. "This 'Eternal Darkness' is actually an illusion created inside my target's mind. Its goal is to weaken my target's spirit by various methods of torture."

"The benefit of this magic, in addition to weakening my target," Zen'aku continued. "Is learning my target's weakness as well." Out of thin air, Zen'aku showed Erza a piece of…

"Strawberry Short Cake!" Erza exclaimed, her eyes widening in excitement and her mouth watering.

"So this must be your favorite food…?" Zen'aku inquired. When he received a nod in confirmation from Erza, he smirked.

"This may seem childish, but…" Zen'aku threw the plate of the Strawberry Short Cake on the ground and stepped on it with his foot.

The gleam in Erza's eyes seemed to shatter and they were replaced by fire.

"YOU...SMASHED...CAKE!"

As her rage kept building, the entire dungeon began to blur.

"No way! She's breaking free!" Zen'aku exclaimed. Suddenly, he felt a blow cross his face. The dungeon and Erza faded around him and he caught a brief glimpse of the real Erza, still in her bikini, before he smashed into a wall of the guild. His vision was still blurred as he regained his composure.

Erza, meanwhile, had requipped into her Heart Kreuz Armor and stared down Zen'aku, still with fire in her eyes.

Zen'aku got to his feet, covering his right eye due to the pain. "How did you break free of the illusion?" He asked, wincing occasionally.

Erza pointed to her right eye, "Due to this Artificial Eye, I am unaffected by all types of Illusion Magic."

"I see…" Zen'aku said, still grimacing from the pain caused by his magic.

"Now then," Erza used her magic to requip into different armor, this time into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. "Shall we continue?"

Erza charges at Zen'aku, wielding several swords at once. She fires a few swords at Zen'aku, which he dodges. He and Erza clash swords briefly before Zen'aku backed off. He created a clone and instructed that clone to attack Erza from above while he, the original, holds her off.

"Clone Magic…?" Erza was stunned. She regained her composure enough to parry Zen'aku's sword strike. However, the Zen'aku clone came flying in from above. Erza barely noticed him in time to block his slash. Now, Erza was in combat with two Zen'akus.

"Go, Erza!" Natsu yelled.

"Do your best, Zen'aku baby!" Cana yelled in response.

"Erza and the two Zen'akus continued crossing swords over and over again. Erza manged to repel the two mages long enough to say, "Your swordsmanship is impressive."

Then, Erza requipped into her Black Wing Armor.

"Let's see how you handle this!" Erza slashed with her sword. It caught both Zen'akus in the stomach.

"Gotcha!" Erza cried. However, to her surprise, both of the Zen'akus disappeared.

Wait, they were both clones? She exclaimed in silence.

Zen'aku appeared behind her, left arm glowing with magic energy. "No, I've got you!'

"Solar Magic: Judgement of the Sun!"

Zen'aku's attack caught Erza square in the back. There was a flash of light, which obscured both Erza and Zen'aku, and the onlookers had to shield their eyes from the light.

"Erza!" Natsu screamed.

But, as the light faded, the crowd gasped. Zen'aku was repelled back, clutching his left arm, and out of the smoke came Erza, this time in her Adamantine Armor. She had her shield exposed in the direction that Zen'aku's attack came from.

"She blocked my attack, even when it came from her blind spot…" Zen'aku muttered.

Erza smirked, then she requipped into her Flight Armor. Then, she rushed at Zen'aku with incredible speed. Zen'aku couldn't avoid this attack and Erza's punch sent Zen'aku flying once again.

Zen'aku landed on the roof of the guild. Slowly getting to his feet, he stared down Erza, who requipped into her Heart Kreuz Armor once again.

"Erza Scarlet…" Zen'aku said, just loud enough to be heard by the rest of the guild and Erza.

"Let me show you…" Zen'aku raised his left arm high above his head. He formed a magic seal above his extended hand.

What magic power… Makarov thought.

"...My resolve!" Zen'aku brought his left arm swinging down, pointing his hand at his target, Erza.

"Solar Magic: Astral Radiation!"

From the sky, a huge column of light sped down directly at Erza. As it struck the mage, it created a shockwave that knocked the watching mages back. Even after the impact, the shockwaves continued.

Natsu managed to get to his feet, despite the continued shockwaves. His words shook the sky itself.

"ERZA!"

Hah...hah," Zen'aku panted as he released the magic. "There, that should do it."

But, out of the dust that his last attack caused, Erza stood once more. Even more astonishing was the armor that Erza wore.

S-she...survived my attack...with...no armor!" Zen'aku gasped.

Indeed, Erza was wearing only battle clothes and not armor. She did suffer severe damage and her entire body was covered in scratches, some of which were still smoking from the last attack.

Erza raised her sword and pointed it at Zen'aku, still on the roof.

"Do you see it now?" She asked.

When Zen'aku didn't respond, Erza shouted, "Do you see the power of friendship yet?!"

The crowd gasped, and Zen'aku was stunned for a second. Then, he regained his composure.

"So, you survived my attack merely on friendship?" He said.

Erza nodded, which drew a smirk to Zen'aku's face. He jumped down, unsheathed his sword and thrust the blade of his sword into the ground.

"Erza Scarlet," He began. "While I now see the power of friendship that you carry with you, I cannot rely on that same power. I have been relying on power from a different source for quite awhile now."

Erza requipped into her Heart Kreutz Armor once more. She inquired of Zen'aku, "What source of motivation could possibly be more powerful than friendship?"  
Zen'aku had his reply ready, "Revenge."

The Guild gasped. Zen'aku pulled his sword out of the ground and re sheathed it. As he walked away, Erza called after him, "Is Zeref involved in your bid for revenge?"

Zen'aku stopped walking, "I will tell you this: Zeref has taken something very dear to me, and I won't stop until I take it back. I'll stop at nothing to find and defeat Zeref and retrieve what he took from me. If anyone gets in my way, friend or foe, I will cut them down without mercy. This is the source of my power, my motivation for getting stronger!" And with that, Zen'aku walked off into the setting sun.

Later that day, Makarov gathered the whole guild inside the Guild hall. He cleared his throat, ready to make an announcement.

"Ahem, may I have your attention?"

Everyone naturally fell silent.

Makarov cleared his throat again, then spoke, "As you all know, this year's Grand Magic Games are upon us once again. Due to Fairy Tail's victory last year, we have an obligation to attend this year to defend our title!"

Roars of approval came from the guild.

Makarov spoke again, which quieted the guild again, "I have decided on the five members that will represent Fairy Tail at this year's Grand Magic Games."

He unrolled the piece of paper that he held in his hand. Reading from the piece of paper, he called out the names of the participants.

"Natsu Dragneel!"

Natsu pumped his fist, "Alright!"

"Gray Fullbuster!"

"Hmph!" Gray pounded his fist, cracking his knuckles.

"Laxus Dreyar!"

Laxus nodded in acknowledgement. In the background, Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen cheered.

"Gajeel Redfox!"

Gajeel smirked, "Gii-hee!"

"And finally…,"

The guild held its collective breath

"...Lucy Heartfilia!"

Lucy was stunned. She said nothing when her name was called.

Natsu slapped her on the shoulder, saying "Congratulations, Lucy!"

Gray also came over to congratulate Lucy. Lucy couldn't believe it.

Why did I get picked? I'm not the strongest in this guild. She thought. And what about Erza? Mira? Even Zen'aku is stronger than me…

"Lucy, congratulations!" It was Erza. She hugged Lucy. She whispered in her ear, "Show everyone your power." before allowing Mirajane to congratulate Lucy as well.

Minutes later, a party had broken out in honor of those who were chosen to participate. Natsu and Gray naturally got into a fight halfway through. Erza, tired of seeing those two fight, retreated outside. She found herself gazing up at the stars, noting their beauty.

"I see the great Titania didn't get chosen as a participant this year…"

Erza spun around, locating the source of the voice. It was none other than Zen'aku, who was sitting on the roof of the Guild Hall, also gazing at the stars.

Erza jumped up to the roof and sat down next to Zen'aku. They both stared up at the heavens for some time. Then, Erza broke the silence, "You know, you weren't chosen either."

Zen'aku shrugged, "Might be better for me this way. Now, I can investigate Zeref without interference."

Erza stood and extended her hand as if to help Zen'aku stand. Zen'aku looked up at her. Erza had a sparkling look in her eyes again.

"If you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask us. We're your friends now."

Zen'aku showed a trace of a smile. He grabbed Erza's hand and she hoisted him to his feet.

They both jumped down from the roof and turned to re enter the Guild Hall. Before Erza could open the door, she heard Zen'aku whisper, "Thank you, Erza Scarlet."

She smiled, then she led Zen'aku into the noisy Guild Hall as Fairy Tail continued to party. The party lasted until very late at night, as per usual of this guild called Fairy Tail.

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**A/N: Hey guys, I hope you like this chapter! Remember to ****_review_**** to get a sneak peek at the next chapter. I've already begun writing it! I hope you're as excited as I am.**


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